If you're level 40 I'd actually suggest against exploring. At least around areas where you have no idea what to find. There's so many places where you might be walking around killing elephants and tarantulas, walk up a stair and bam - you've encountered mages that hit for 1500+ (asuras) and you instantly die.

Check up creatures that suit your level and vocation, like apes, cyclops or dragons on the wiki. Then ask around where you can find them other than the most crowded places. Or don't check the wiki at all and just ask around if you wanna play the game that way.

Yes your defense only works against two hits per round. When you are attacked by more than two creatures you will still use your defense against two attacks per round, so yes it does matter what stance you are using even if you're tanking more than two creatures at once.

"Strength in blood"? That's a weird way to phrase 'genetics', but sure.

Granted, two river folks are slightly taller than average. They still aren't "leagues above anyone that wasn't a borderlander or Aiel". Neither are they born with any particular fighting instincts either.

Not at all. Jupp they're "blessed". Or you know just not as geneticically diverse as most people, causing abnomally high occurances of being able to channel. But that's it. They aren't some super race uncomparable to others. And neither are the borderlander or aiel. The two latter, HOWEVER, have warrior cultures due to their unique situation, leading to them generally being better trained.

Two-river men however don't have any reason at all to educate themselves in warfare, to train or anything and that becomes apparent when small bands of white cloaks basically takes command of the entire area with the population being as docile as they possibly could.

Heck, except for the magic trio and Tam (who traveled half the world mind you), not a single person from the two rivers has held a sword before leaving the area.

What I'm saying is..

The Two Rivers were leagues above anyone that wasn't a borderlander or Aiel.

Geez, if we are going to adjust our definitions of people, let's at least do it properly.

Two professionals with a life-long training behind them. Seriously both were bred to be Elayne's bodyguards/generals. Within months of the mentioned fight one would become a Sergeant of a standing army (white knights) and the other would overthrow all of his former masters. Saying they're "in training" is technically true but realistically unjust.

Not to mention who were both geared for battle.

Against, yes the best local village staff-wielder. Tam is not a staff user, heck he isn't seen carrying one even once throughout the series, beating him is not really a great decent feat. Mat being the best of a group of averages is not a shining example of skill.

Not to mention his manetheran memories conditioned him

Not really, as previously mentioned - his former lives memories had not yet returned to him to any conscious extent at all.

But wait, there's more!

Mat had never fought against someone with a sword before!

But wait, there's more!

Mat had just previously survived a deadly curse and were growing faint by just walking around, then bam, here comes plot armor and he's suddenly fit enough to fight.

But wait, there's more!

Frankly, I could get Mat's legendary staff skills if it wasn't so poorly written in that scene. Is it even mentioned before that chapter that he had previously trained with them? And since it's not, I really don't feel that Mat's showing himself capable, instead we're just getting Jordan going "Oh and yeah, this guy I want you guys to cheer for is a karate expert and now beats the bad guys up" without any previous explanation. Hence why I'm questioning OP, Mat has plenty of redeeming scenes but this is just something odd that stands out.

He did have a serious 1v1 versus Galad after he picked up his sword, and won.

Not that I'm questioning you, but I don't recall that. Could you tell me when that happened?

Mat had not demonstrated ANY knowledge or skill that his previous lives would've given him

Speaking the old tongue was not intentional but an act of his subconscious. IIRC he is even surprised to find out he wasn't speaking common when informed afterwards. Comparable to Rand causing that lightning when cornered by darkfriends in a tavern in book1 - far earlier than he learned to actually channel. Yeah all three are showing taveren signs from day one, but the fight was not a little sign. That was just full blown out developed demigod powers.

Even if it's just the strength of the old blood in Two Rivers men, that seems like a fine explanation for his prowess in combat.

No not really. A big man who has played a little bit of a sport in his youth will not overcome a two professional athletes who happen to be shorter.

At that point of the story Mat had not demonstrated ANY knowledge or skill that his previous lives would've given him. Like Rand he didn't just wake up one day being psuedo-omniscient, it took years for the effect to take place. Not to mention that Mat himself acknowledged towards the end of the series that he was more of a strategist than a fighter.

It's explained that he's been trained by his father, too. So it's not the first time he's fought with the staff. The only reason he won so easily is because he took both of them by surprise.

Yeah I'm aware that he's been training. And that he was apparently "the best staff fighter in all of two-rivers". Which honestly means nothing.

He is the best of a local group of amateaur practitioners who then goes against two profesionals who have been training their entire lives. Not to mention they are using the suitable equipment while Mat has never before fought against someone wielding a sword before. Neither Galad nor Gawyn are distracted as the fight begins and both appear to be taking it seriously. It makes no sense that they would be surprised only because their opponent actually used the weapon he was clearly holding.

Really? I've always felt that scene stands out as completely out of place and frankly unrealistic even with WOTs standards.

Nothing with it is adequately explained. Why is a village farmer who have had some practice fighting with staves able to defeat not one but TWO formidable fighters who have spent their entire lives training for battle?

Staves aren't somehow "better" than swords. And if they for some reason were in this world, why isn't the common soldier using them? There's a hundred arguments why Mat should have lost this fight.

I get it. Mat is one of destinys choosen ones aka taveren. But in the entire series, that fact usually makes small changes to the world like an arrow strikes a bit too far, odd coincidences occur or someone is given odd powers. But it never, outside of this occurance, completely changes everything about a situation to a level where it's frankly Deux Ex Machina level of ridiculousness.

Since two in this thread have already linked to video tutorials for hunting spawns, I'll say something quite important.

If you're making a low/mid level video guide for a spawn and you have very high skills/mlvl due to offline training, simply use suboptimal gear/stances.

A fresh level 30 paladin can't efficiently hunt dragons. A level 30 paladin with 95 dist can. If the trained paladin uses full defense, or balanced attack with normal arrows he will get the same results as a new paladin.

I get that it's not as much fun hunting suboptimally, but the people who actually have use of such video guides are usually new and don't have perfect gear/skills.

Honestly am I the only one who appreciated rulership? It gives ambitious, just and diligent frequently. Heck that's +3 in all stats! And if you play it right, it won't give you depression or stressed.

Basically, rulership will often give you two kinds of events.

Either that two vassals are arguing. Here you should side with neither, either offering to pay 50g yourself or call them both dumbarses.

Or that some murderer/witch has been found, you can either kill her, imprison her or let her go. Always go for the middle ground, imprison/detain.

Basically rulership is learning to compromise, always take the middle road. 1/3 of the results is that you gain a trait, 1/3 you advance your rulership level (+stewardship) or 1/3 that nothing happens.

Along with hunting and scholarship, it's my generic pick when I don't need to solve any specific situation (and don't already have the 3 traits it gives).

Either you can waste A LOT by AoEing things - gaining ridiculous amounts of exp.

Or you can hunt the old traditional way of using wand+exori spells. Gaining only slightly less exp than knights/paladins at that level. As long as you hunt things that give plenty of loot, like djinns or ancient scarabs, you will profit.

Of course, you can do as they others suggest, farm rare valuables to sell so you can keep GFBing.

First 7 replies are all made from high levels from the same world (5/7 from the same guild even) shortly after the post was made. Not at all suspicious, no not at all.

Well let's read their compelling arguements:

"There is a historical alliance between the 4 vocations within the game and it is not fair to remove a tool as necessary as the exiva, the exiva has been so common and necessary 20 years ago as now, there is no need to remove it, only a minimum amount Of toxic people want to remove it to continue their misdeeds in the game."

I'm kinda impressed tbh. That's a mightily hollow statement yet it sounds convincing. He isn't actually coming up with any arguments or logical reasons - he's just speaking as if those argument have already been made or as if he was backing up an obviously correct side.